SB591: SB591 Offenses Against Public Order; the disruption of a religious service; prohibit

Georgia law already makes it a crime to disrupt a funeral or memorial service through things like blocking access, threatening language, or protests staged too close to the ceremony. This bill amends that law (O.C.G.A. § 16-11-34.2) to add religious services to the same protections. It defines a religious service broadly as any public gathering for worship, religious observance, or other religious purpose. The bill applies the same rules that currently protect funerals to religious services: no displaying threatening images, no loud or amplified disruptive noise, no blocking pedestrian or vehicle access, and no protests or demonstrations within 500 feet of the site, all measured from one hour before to one hour after the scheduled service. Violating these rules remains a misdemeanor, with a tougher aggravated misdemeanor penalty kept in place for disrupting funerals with military honors. The changes take effect once the bill is enacted.

• Adds a legal definition of 'religious service' as any public gathering for worship, religious observance, or other religious purpose.
• Extends existing funeral-disruption protections in Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 16-11-34.2) to also cover religious services.
• Bans threatening images, loud disruptive noise, blocking access, and protests or demonstrations within 500 feet of a religious service, funeral, or memorial service.
• Applies these restrictions during a window from one hour before to one hour after the posted time of the service.
• Keeps the misdemeanor penalty for violations, with an aggravated misdemeanor for disrupting a military funeral honors ceremony.

People who attend or hold religious services, funerals, and memorial ceremonies in Georgia; protesters, demonstrators, and others whose activity near such events could now be restricted; and law enforcement, who would enforce the expanded misdemeanor law.

Georgians attending worship services would gain the same legal shield against disruptive protests, noise, and blocked access that funerals already have. Demonstrators and others near religious gatherings would face new restrictions on their conduct within 500 feet of the site during a defined time window.

• Section 1 adds subsection (a) defining 'religious service' as any public assembly for worship, religious observance, or other religious purpose.
• Section 1 revises subsection (b) to state the General Assembly's interest in letting religious services, funerals, and memorial services proceed without disruption.
• Section 1 revises subsection (c) to list prohibited disorderly or disruptive conduct: threatening imagery, loud or amplified noise, blocking access, and protests, all within 500 feet of the site.
• Section 1 sets the restricted time period as one hour before, during, and one hour after the posted service time.
• Section 1 keeps subsection (d)'s penalty structure: a misdemeanor generally, and an aggravated misdemeanor for disrupting a funeral with military honors.
• Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2026-05-12Effective Date 2026-07-01
2. 2026-05-12Act 626
3. 2026-05-12Senate Date Signed by Governor (Senate)
4. 2026-04-10Senate Sent to Governor (Senate)
5. 2026-03-31House Passed/Adopted (House)
6. 2026-03-31House Third Readers (House)
7. 2026-03-25House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
8. 2026-03-10House Second Readers (House)

• Steve Gooch (R, SD-051)Primary sponsor
• Jason Anavitarte (R, SD-031)
• Larry Walker (R, SD-020)
• Carden Summers (R, SD-013)
• Drew Echols (R, SD-049)
• Bo Hatchett (R, SD-050)
• Randy Robertson (R, SD-029)
• John Albers (R, SD-056)
• Russ Goodman (R, SD-008)
• Frank Ginn (R, SD-047)
• Timothy Bearden (R, SD-030)
• Clint Dixon (R, SD-045)
• Shawn Still (R, SD-048)
• Lee Anderson (R, SD-024)
• Ricky Williams (R, SD-025)
• Bill Cowsert (R, SD-046)
• Deborah Silcox (R, HD-053)

1. PassedSenate voteMarch 6, 2026

   39 yea, 13 nay (0 not voting, 3 absent)

   Passage: Senate Vote #674

2. PassedHouse voteMarch 31, 2026

   128 yea, 39 nay (2 not voting, 7 absent)

   Passage: House Vote #826

• religious freedom
• public order laws
• protest restrictions
• criminal penalties
• funeral protections